Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1999)

Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the ... See full summary »

Director:

Lynne Littman

Writers:

Sarah L. Delany (book), A. Elizabeth Delany (book),

Stars:

Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee, Amy Madigan

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Diahann Carroll	...	Sadie Delany
Ruby Dee	...	Annie Elizabeth 'Bessie' Delany
Amy Madigan	...	Amy Hill Hearth
Lisa Arrindell Anderson	...	Sadie in her 20s
Audra McDonald	...	Bessie in her 20s
Mykelti Williamson	...	Papa Delany
Lonette McKee	...	Mama Delany
Richard Roundtree	...	Booker T. Washington
Della Reese	...	Martha Logan
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cameron Arnett	...	Lemuel
Nate Bynum
Thomas Clark	...	Lucious
Sharlease Collier	...	Church goer
Brandon Crawford	...	Bag Boy
Cordereau Dye	...	Hubert Thomas Delany

Storyline

Tells the story of Sadie and Bessie Delany, two African-American (they preferred "colored") sisters who both lived past the age of 100. They grew up on a North Carolina college campus, the daughters of the first African-American Episcopal bishop, who was born a slave, and a woman with an inter-racial background. With the support of each other and their family, they survived encounters with racism and sexism in their own different ways. Sadie quietly and sweetly broke barriers to become the first African-American home-ec teacher in New York City, while Bessie, with her own brand of outspokenness, became the second African-American dentist in New York City. At the ages of 103 and 101, they told their story to Amy Hill Hearth, a white New York Times reporter who published an article about them. The overwhelming response launched a bestselling book, a Broadway play, and this film.

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Plot Keywords:

african american | new york | sexism | racism | sister | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Having Our Say

Filming Locations:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

C&J Productions, Columbia TriStar Television, Dreyfuss / James Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Diahann Carroll, who plays Sadie Delany the elder sister is actually nine years younger than 'Ruby Dee', who plays Bessie Delany, the younger sister.

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Quotes

Bessie in her 20s: I've already helped raise my 10 brothers and sisters, I feel like I've raised the whole world, I don't want to have kids.

User Reviews

Real Life Makes Great Movie

This was a fine example of how an interesting film can be made without using big stars and big effects. Just tell a true story about the struggles of two African American women over a turbulent century.

This movie challenges us all to look at our own personal prejudices and see that people are people, not white, black, etc.

Good movie with a good message.